Enchanted by Judith Leger Read Free Book Online Page A

it be wild?” Her eyes lit up with her laugh, and she hugged Caitlyn’s arm tighter against her side. “Just imagine the headlines. Illusionist falls head-over-heels for aspiring news reporter. You’d be set for life.”
    Blood rushed to Caitlyn’s cheeks. Marcy managed to dig her point deep into Caitlyn’s flesh with her words. No matter what she did, she’d never match Marcy in the looks department. Angry, Caitlyn’s answer came out stronger than she’d meant. “I have no intention of ever getting married or falling love. You know how I feel about the subject.”
    Marcy rolled her eyes. “Oh calm down, I was just teasing. You’ll change your mind one day. Who knows? Today might be the day and Shay Evers the man.”
    She shook her head, denying Marcy’s words, but her friend had planted the seed. Deep within her heart, she wanted a relationship with Shay, but in reality, something so fabulous would never happen. She maneuvered Marcy to the right, avoiding a group of giggling fans. The crowds thinned, but a large number of young girls still roamed the halls.
    Marcy pointed to a hallway branching off ahead of them. “Take a right up here. The elevator is there. Second floor and it’s our turn to perform.”
    Caitlyn’s stomach rolled. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t feel so anxious. Evers was, like Marcy said, just a man. A sharp pang sliced through her. The rational side of her accepted her friend intended to tease her, but now the idea whirled in her head. The schoolgirl jitters inside her refused to go away.
    Lost in her thoughts, she let Marcy monopolize the conversation. The elevator doors opened to a huge social area, and she forced her attention to her surroundings.
    People pooled here and there. Smiles were pasted on everyone’s faces, white teeth flashing and battling for brilliance with all the diamonds and jewels in the room. A few groups wandered from one side of the room to the other. She stepped from the elevator and cool air smacked her in the face, relieving her internal rise in temperature from her thoughts of Evers. Marcy guided her toward the tables set up on the far side of the room.
    “Omigod there he is.” Her friend’s excited murmur reached her above the quiet conversations around them. “Come on, hurry. I’ve seen turtles move faster than you. I don’t want to miss him. These parties don’t usually last long. If you don’t speak to the star at the start, he’ll disappear and you’ll miss your chance.”
    Caitlyn frowned. How had Marcy spotted Evers in the crowd? They shifted right to avoid a group of people, and when she glanced toward the tables, she saw him. With his rear resting against the edge of the last table, he smiled and nodded at the small crowd of people huddled in a semi-circle in front of him.
    Once she noticed him, the room’s perimeter darkened while the light surrounding him took on a luminous glow. A clear glass, half-filled with brown liquid hung loose from his fingertips. Long dark eyelashes hid his eyes for a second, and then gleaming amethyst met and held her gaze.
    The air in her lungs ceased expelling. She failed to force it out. Caught within his brilliant stare, she battled against a wave of dizziness. The slow lowering of his right eyelid released her.
    He’d winked.
    She froze. Did he wink at her? Yes, he had.
    He looked away.
    Freed from the hypnotic spell he cast on her, she exhaled.
    Narrowing her gaze, she studied him. What kind of game was he playing? Her mind screamed to turn, run away. She’d find the quiet spot, phone Kramer and tell him she couldn’t go through with this interview.
    And he’d blow up and fire her. She shut her eyes for a second, trying to find a place of calmness inside her.
    When she opened them, Evers nodded in response to something someone said. Even though Caitlyn believed he’d stared into her eyes, there wasn’t any proof he focused on her. More than fifty people roamed about the room. Her imagination